Thanks to the Android OS we here at AndroidSPIN get to play with quite a few toys here and there. Some of these devices blow our mind while others just fall short, thankfully the Parrot AR Drone 2.0 is mind dynamite, oh yeah I went there. I got to review the Parrot AR Drone 2.0 for AndroidSPIN and after playing around with this fun little toy I am happy to say the Parrot AR Drone 2.0 met all my expectations, well almost all of them. Let me show you what I mean in this review of the Parrot AR Drone 2.0. Elite Edition.

Whatâ€™s In The Box:

Parrot AR Drone 2.0

Outdoor Hull

Indoor Hull

Battery

Wall Charger

Assorted Wall Outlet Plugs

Infrared Stickers (For AR Drone Game)

Features:

Android Control App:

This is the main reason I wanted to test out the AR Drone 2.0. I wanted to see how well it would perform with the Android OS and see if there would be any issues when using the device outside. The Android app has a pretty functional design although I did get some force close pop ups here and there. The one thing I would definitely change is the placement ofÂ the emergency-landing button. When there was a real emergency it sucked having to reach across my Note 3 screen to hit that little button. Hiccups aside, the app controlled the drone beautifully. The thing I enjoyed the most was the settings section of the app, why you may ask? Well I enjoyed it because of what you can enable in the settings. The first setting is the option to enable the Drone flip. This is after all the coolest thing to do with the AR Drone so it was nice of Parrot to make it so easy to do. All you have to do is go into settings and choose what direction you want the flip to go (left, right, forward, backward). Then head back to the main screen and double tap; voila you just flipped your AR Drone in midair. This, for me, was the coolest thing about the Android app.

I did not really find myself using the direct video feed from the Parrot Drone 2.0 on my phone simply because it sucks when it comes to actually controlling the AR Parrot Drone. The camera has a limited view (forward facing) so you canâ€™t really see what is behind or on the side of the drone. That paired with a small testing area made for some pretty nasty accidents. It a bit difficult to focus on the live video feed when having to a playful dog.Â The Parrot app also has a neat little feature in which you can upload your video directly to YouTube, which is a nice little bonus. Again, this something I did not use more than once.

Built-In Camera:

Now this was one of the reasons that I really wanted to test out the Parrot 2.0 drone, the built-in camera. This camera is pretty small but it can record at 720p, downside is that if you record at this rate battery life disappears pretty damn quickly. The video is pretty smooth when recording and well the camera video quality is passable but not amazing. Still it was a lot of fun getting a bird’s eye view. There is also a down facing camera but the quality is about the same quality video you would get with an old school flip phone video camera so I did not find myself using it as much.

Battery Life:

If you want to have decent battery life with the Parrot AR Drone 2.0 Elite I suggest you purchase the 1500 mAh extended battery. Maybe purchase 3. I know that time really flew by (get it J) when I was using the Drone. Seems like I had just turned it on and the low battery warning was already flashing. That is the one big downside to the Elite 2.0, battery life. If you want to use this over a long period of time make sure you get extra batteries, the 1000 mAh battery that’sÂ included is not enough. I was only able to get about 5-7 minutes of flight time with the standard battery. When I used the camera at full resolution the number dropped down to about 4-5 minutes, tops.

Wall Charger:

When I initially received the Elite EditionÂ Drone I had an issue with the wall charger. The battery was not receiving a charge from it and if it did it was barely trickling in. Due to this issue I had to wait for Parrot to send me a replacement charger for this review. The new charger worked perfectly, I was able to charge the battery in a few hours. Parrot also includes different plugs for their wall charger, so international customers you can rest easy.

Distance:

The Parrot AR Drone 2.0 Elite Edition got some great distance when controlled with my Note 3. Even the gyro controls performed well for me. The one thing I did not like was how high the Parrot Drone could go. Now donâ€™t get me wrong this is obviously something we all want, height, but the issue wasnâ€™t that it couldnâ€™t go up high enough, no, the problem was that it went so high that I lost my connection to the drone. I got it up to about 120 feet and thatâ€™s when I lost the wireless connection. The Drone just hovered in place while I ran around looking for a way to get close enough to the drone to re-establish my connection. Sure enough I did not have to do any of that as a pretty big gust of wind came in and pushed the Drone into a tree branch causing some damage to the indoor hull and propellers. This loss of connection is a big problem.

I would have loved to see Parrot put in some sort of fail safe in which when the connection is lost the Drone flies back to the last known location of the controlling Android device and lands. That would be a much-welcomed feature. No one wants to have his or her $300 drone just hover in mid-air without any control until the battery dies. That is not a good feeling, trust me on that.

Conclusion:

The Elite AR Parrot Drone 2.0 is a great toy and the fact that it works with your mobile device is a great bonus. With that said it is still a toy, a very expensive toy to boot. It is a lot of fun when you first start playing with it but after a while you start to realize that the limitations (short battery life and connection loss) really keep you from doing too much with it. To me, this is a toy that I have to play with inside or in a very big field where I can easily go recover the drone should something happen. The $300 price tag is pretty steep for this device but if you were looking for your first drone, I would say look no further than the AR Parrot Elite 2.0 Drone. It is a beginnerâ€™s drone and you can learn a lot from it.

]]>http://androidspin.com/2014/08/14/parrot-ar-drone-2-0-elite-edition/feed/0NYNE Bass: The Speaker You Want At Your Next Partyhttp://androidspin.com/2014/06/05/nyne-bass-speaker-want-at-your-party/
http://androidspin.com/2014/06/05/nyne-bass-speaker-want-at-your-party/#respondFri, 06 Jun 2014 02:10:43 +0000http://androidspin.com/?p=150511When people usually think about Bluetooth speakers portability is the first thing that comes to mind. With almost every speaker maker out there aiming for the smartphone and tablet market it is no surprise that the speaker has to be just as portable, I mean lets face it our mobile devices are the entertainment hub […]

When people usually think about Bluetooth speakers portability is the first thing that comes to mind. With almost every speaker maker out there aiming for the smartphone and tablet market it is no surprise that the speaker has to be just as portable, I mean lets face it our mobile devices are the entertainment hub of our lives. Music, movies, Youtube cat videos, and pictures our mobile devices do it all. While the viewing pleasure is more than enough sometimes the sound just doesnâ€™t cut it. I know that on my Note 3 the screen is big enough but the one speaker on the bottom just isnâ€™t enough when watching a movie or listening to music in my home. I need a bigger speaker to fill my home, something that I can take to parties and use as the main sound system, something like the NYNE Bass. When it comes to portability this thing doesnâ€™t have much but I donâ€™t mind because what it lacks in portability it more than makes up for in sound. Let me show you what I mean in this weekâ€™s review of the NYNE Bass.

Whatâ€™s In The Box:

NYNE Bass

Wall Charger

Auxiliary Cable (Not in Photo, was lost)

Assorted Charging Tips

Performance:

Sound:

This is the first thing I want to touch on just because the sound on this thing is different from what i’m used to. Portable speakers are usually pretty small and while some do provide great sound it isnâ€™t so loud that it can take over a party. The NYNE Bass can. This thing provides some monster sound and I love it. Coming from a Salvadorean family there are a lot of old school music played at family gatherings. This gave my speaker a unique test and it passed with flying colors. For the highs I used a song by a group called Menudo called â€œSubete A Mi Motoâ€. The speaker handled it beautifully and even at maximum volume there was little to no distortion. For the lows I used a song by The Sugar Hill Gang called â€œRapperâ€™s Delight,again the NYNE handled the low ends of the bass perfectly thanks to the active subwoofer boasting 35 watts of power under the hood. There is also 3.5mm Aux in on the back of the speaker, well you know what that is for.

NFC:

The NYNE Bass has NFC support which is always nice to have if you have a supported device because all you have to do is tap and hold to pair the the Bass. One thing I did not like is how small the area to pair via NFC is. At first glance it is easy to assume that the whole grey panel with a small white NFC marking would be for, well NFC, but it isnâ€™t. The top left corner is where the NFC technology is actually located, the rest of the giant panel is just plastic. So it took a bit of guessing to get it to pair with my Note 3, HTC One M8, and Meizu MX3 because of the small NFC area on the NYNE Bass.

Design:

The NYNE Bass has a pretty simple design nothing too complicated. On the grey and white version I received it has a greyish white grill on the front, a rubberized material on the sides and leading into the lining around the grill and back of the speaker, two plastic grey panels on the side, and plastic buttons for the controls. There is also a hidden handle on the back that makes it easier to grab and move the speaker in a hurry.

Built in Charger:

The NYNE Bass can also double as a charger for your mobile device. Albeit it isnâ€™t that much of a portable charger it can still give you some juice to keep the party going. The only downside for me is the fact that it can only push out 1 amp, which with the devices nowadays isnâ€™t much. My Note 3 requires a 2.1 amp output to charge at a decent rate. Come to think of it thatâ€™s becoming true of almost all smartphones these days. I am now seeing 2.4 more and more so NYNE might want to step that up.

Phone Speaker:

This is a pretty neat feature but sadly due to the size of the speaker not something I really used during my time with the NYNE Bass. The one time I did the the caller came in clear and loud but when it came to them hearing me they said it sounded a bit distorted and cut off. This doesn’t mean it was the speaker particularly could have been they had a bad signal or maybe I did who knows. When it comes to the NYNE Bass speakerphone capabilities are there, whether you use it or not is up to you.

Two Power Buttons:

One thing that really through me for a loop was the fact that there are two power buttons on the NYNE Bass. I donâ€™t really get the thought process on this or why it came to be but common standard is one power button to rule them all (get it). Â The other thing I donâ€™t like is the feel of the control buttons on top of the speaker. The material is a bit loose and feels flimsy at best.

Pros:

NFC

Big Sound

Speaker Phone

Built-in Charger

Aux-in

Cons:

Small NFC Area

Built-in Charger outputs 1 amp.

Flimsy button controls

Conclusion:

All in all the NYNE Bass provides huge sound in a small package that is sure to be a hit at any gathering. It gives you a few extras that are pretty much standard in the portable speaker realm and does so at a pretty damn good price. As of this post you can purchase the NYNE Bass for $139 on Amazon. All things considered Iâ€™d say this speaker is definitely worth the sound and the price is perfect for the NYNE Bass. So hit up the link down below and get your hands on this booming speaker.

]]>http://androidspin.com/2014/06/05/nyne-bass-speaker-want-at-your-party/feed/064GB Patriot Stellar OTG USB 3.0 on sale for $24.99http://androidspin.com/2014/05/01/64gb-patriot-stellar-otg-usb-3-0-sale/
http://androidspin.com/2014/05/01/64gb-patriot-stellar-otg-usb-3-0-sale/#commentsThu, 01 May 2014 15:02:49 +0000http://androidspin.com/?p=148144We previously reviewed and the Patriot Stellar OTG USB 3.0 external flashÂ drive and the results were, well stellar. It’s fast, compact, well-made and is perfect for those needing extra storage for their devices. There was a prior promo through Patriot and Amazon to get a 32GB Stellar for $24.75 which expired. Well, Newegg has just […]

We previously reviewed and the Patriot Stellar OTG USB 3.0 external flashÂ drive and the results were, well stellar. It’s fast, compact, well-made and is perfect for those needing extra storage for their devices. There was a prior promo through Patriot and Amazon to get a 32GB Stellar for $24.75 which expired. Well, Newegg has just doubled down and you can get the 64GB version, which normally goes for $38.99 for $24.99 after you include a $14 rebate card.Â Check it out and get yours today.

]]>http://androidspin.com/2014/05/01/64gb-patriot-stellar-otg-usb-3-0-sale/feed/5Fugoo Tough Jacket Bluetooth Speaker What More Do You Needhttp://androidspin.com/2014/04/26/fugoo-tough-jacket-bluetooth-speaker-need/
http://androidspin.com/2014/04/26/fugoo-tough-jacket-bluetooth-speaker-need/#respondSat, 26 Apr 2014 21:13:36 +0000http://androidspin.com/?p=147671My brother has been a long time BMX fan and well it has been the driving force behind his huge spending for bike parts. To me itâ€™s excessive but I can understand it, I am the same way with technology and mobile phones, people would say I am nuts, a tech hoarder. I would be […]

My brother has been a long time BMX fan and well it has been the driving force behind his huge spending for bike parts. To me itâ€™s excessive but I can understand it, I am the same way with technology and mobile phones, people would say I am nuts, a tech hoarder. I would be inclined to agree. So when my brother told me he was tired of having to buy headphones to listen to music while riding I told him well why donâ€™t you just get a Bluetooth speaker, he of course shouted â€œThatâ€™s a great idea, got any?â€ It just so happens that I did have one, the Fugoo Tough Jacket Bluetooth speaker.. This was a perfect fit and well this is what my review is centered around. So let me tell you why the Fugoo Tough Jacket Bluetooth speaker is a speaker for all sorts of life situations in my review. Letâ€™s get started.

Whatâ€™s In The Box:

Fugoo Bluetooth Tough Jacket Speaker

Wall Charger

Micro-USB Cable

Auxiliary Cable

Allen Wrench

Pouch

Screws

Build Quality:

The Tough Jacket Bluetooth speaker is a FREAKING AMAZING, and Iâ€™m just talking about the build quality. As soon as you take the speaker out of the box you can tell that Fugoo put in a lot of time in designing the Tough jacket for the Fugoo Speaker Core. The Jacket is meant to take quite a beating and is perfect for almost all situations I can think of. Just to give you an idea of what I mean when I say tough here is a video of a car running over the Fugoo Bluetooth Speaker with the Tough jacket on

*The Fugoo speaker was ran over to demonstrate the construction strength of the Fugoo ToughÂ Jacket for demonstrative purposes. DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!!!

Pretty Tough Right?

Performance:

As far as performance what can I say, this speaker can do it all and then some. Let me tell you why. Not only is this speaker mudproof, snowproof, and shockproof itâ€™s also waterproof. I know you’re thinking â€œyeah so are a lot of other thingsâ€ well if you search around not a lot of Bluetooth speakers have waterproof as a quality and if they do itâ€™s usually just water resistant which is a big difference. Water resistance means it can take splashes of water while waterproof means it can be fully submerged and the Fugoo Bluetooth speaker is water proof. It can be under water for 30 mins in 3 feet of water and come outÂ perfectly fine, any deeper and you risk losing the Bluetooth connection but it’ll reconnect automatically once you bring it back up.

Battery Life:

This is one feature that I am normally not impressed with. I usually get Bluetooth speakers that can go maybe 9 hours on average, some go a bit longer but nothing too surprising. The Fugoo Bluetooth speaker is different, this baby can go a whopping 40 hours on a charge. Thatâ€™s right, 40 HOURS!!! That is incredible to me, I canâ€™t listen to music for that long in one go but if I needed too the Fugoo would be the only choice. I ran the Fugoo speaker once I had fully charged it and it ran a little more than 40 hours for me (about 42-45). This was the first time a Bluetooth speaker lasted longer than my music library, which is pretty damn impressive as not one other portable Bluetooth speaker has been able to do that.

Fugoo Core:

This is, well, the core of the Fugoo Bluetooth speaker. The Fugoo core is the entire speaker system in a small package and it is because of this core that you have the ability to switch between different jackets (explained below). The core itself contains the speakers (4 of them), tweeters, and the battery along with a few other electrical components. It is waterproof without any case but I suggest you get a jacket for it anyway, think of it as a phone looks great without a case but itâ€™s easier to break.

Sound:

As far as how it sounds I can say it is pretty great for such a small speaker. To test the bass I used a song by RDGLDGRN called â€œMillion Fansâ€. The bass isnâ€™t too overpowering and comes in pretty nice, again considering the size it was more than enough for me but for some of you audiophiles you may want to go with a bigger size. Songs with strong vocal caused a bit of a problem though. I used two songs with very powerful vocals. The first one was by Gnarls Barkley called â€œCrazyâ€ and when the volume was pushed to the max the speaker started to get heavily distorted especially with the high notes. The same issue occurred with a song by Evanescence called â€œMy Immortalâ€. I had to lower the volume for fear of damaging the speaker. For the most part music played pretty well the only thing I would say is don’t push the volume to high for those high pitch vocal songs.

Google Now:

One great feature about Fugoo is how well Google Now has been integrated. Most bluetooth accessories donâ€™t utilize Google Now but still include the ability to make and take calls with their high end mics. Fugoo realized that Google Now is actually a useful feature and have made sure that the Fugoo Bluetooth Speaker works with this great service, in fact it is one of their main selling points!! Google Now works beautifully with the Fugoo Bluetooth speaker and is one of the the first portable bluetooth speakers to give me a true hands free experience while driving.

Voice Prompts:

Clear cut set up instructions are crucial to me, mainly because when I leave something like a Bluetooth speaker with someone who isnâ€™t quite tech savvy it just causes my phone to ring off the hook for every question. Perfect example was when I let my mom borrow the Fugoo Bluetooth speaker, I had not used it yet but she was in dire need of one apparently so I told her she could use it. I went to run my errand and came to find my mom using it, I was shocked. She always needs me to set it up any piece of technology for her before she can use it but the Fugoo Bluetooth speaker was, as she said, â€œfacilâ€ (spanish for easy).

When you first turn on your Fugoo Bluetooth speaker you are prompted by a voice that tells you it is powering on. Afterwards it proceeds to tell you that it is scanning for bluetooth devices so all you have to do is turn on your bluetooth and you will see the Fugoo speaker pop up and connect as soon as you tap on it. That is it, simple as that. So if any Bluetooth speaker companies are reading this I have one request, follow Fugooâ€™s voice prompt features, they got it right.

Jackets:

The Fugoo Bluetooth speaker comes with different jackets that allow it to be changed whenever you desire. Think of the jackets as different shells you can swap them out to whatever best suits your needs. For example, if youâ€™re going hiking I suggest you put on the Tough Jacket for ultimate protection. The Tough Jacket is made of fiber-reinforced resin and solid aluminum which, if you saw the video above, really helps keep the Fugoo core safe from any serious harm. There are two other jackets that can be used with the Fugoo core (the sport and the style) also offer protection and considerably less bulk (links below).

Only thing I didn’t like about the Tough Jacket is how you have to remove it. The Tough Jacket requires the use of an Allen wrench (in box). It isn’t hard to take off at all when you have the tool but if you don’t well you’re stuck with the Tough Jacket until you get one. As you can see in the video above I actually had to get one of my own tools to continue the removal process because the tool provided started losing it’s grip on the screws. I wish they could have used some sort of clamping system or maybe a flat head screw that can be screwed on/off with a coin to makeÂ the removal of the Fugoo Core easier.

Mounts:

If having a nearly indestructible speaker with amazing battery life and Google Now compatibility wasnâ€™t enough you can mount the Fugoo speaker to almost anything. I got the bike mount for my brother and while it does provide a solid hold the bike didnâ€™t mount on the bar. The bike handlebars were too thin and because of that the speaker could not stay upright on the handlebars. Slight issue but as long as it stayed on the bike I was happy. My brother took it out for a test drive and the speakers stayed on through bunny hops and tail whips. There are quite a few other mounts available on the Fugoo site that can be used with this speaker my second favorite would have to be the strap which goes between the two aluminum bars on the Tough Jacket and allows you to tie it to just about anything,Â including tree trunks.

Speakers(360):

Yeah this is a feature I wanted to talk about. The Fugoo Bluetooth speaker has a 360 degree system that allows it to play music from all four sides. This comes in handy just because you know longer have to be right in front of the speaker to get great sound, just set the speaker down and hit play. This is possible because of the 6 speakers on all sides of the Fugoo Core. In this core Fugoo gives you 2 tweeters, two woofers, and two passive radiators along with 4 active drivers.

What We Liked About It:

Durability

Sound

Battery Life

Ease Of Use

Portability

Setup

Flat Charging Cable (Yeah, flat charging cables are awesome)

What We Didnâ€™t Like About It:

Sound (Songs with high vocals didn’t play well with the Fugoo)

Tough Jacket Removal A Bit Too Much

Conclusion:

The Fugoo Tough Bluetooth speaker is a great portable system that can take almost anything life can throw at it and still sound great. Despite a few minor things here and there Iâ€™d say that if youâ€™re looking for a great quality speaker that can get run over by a car and still entertain you for 40+ hours straight the Fugoo Tough jacket Bluetooth speaker is definitely the one for you. So hit up the links down below and check out the different styles that Fugoo offers for your portable music life. This has been an Androidspin review, thanks for reading.

]]>http://androidspin.com/2014/04/26/fugoo-tough-jacket-bluetooth-speaker-need/feed/0Product Review: Brookstone Pocket Projector Prohttp://androidspin.com/2014/04/03/product-review-brookstone-pocket-projector-pro/
http://androidspin.com/2014/04/03/product-review-brookstone-pocket-projector-pro/#commentsThu, 03 Apr 2014 12:00:37 +0000http://androidspin.com/?p=142265Our mobile devices can do so much today that it is starting to become the universal device in our world. From ringing up purchases to just taking photos; our mobile devices are a hub of entertainment/information in our on-the-go world. So when it comes to entertainment you can bet that a good chunk of folks […]

Our mobile devices can do so much today that it is starting to become the universal device in our world. From ringing up purchases to just taking photos; our mobile devices are a hub of entertainment/information in our on-the-go world. So when it comes to entertainment you can bet that a good chunk of folks get their news, YouTube videos, and music from their mobile but sometimes that can be a problem. I donâ€™t know about you but I have had many moments where quite a few people want to see a movie I have stored on my device but even with a 5.7 inch screen my Note 3 just can’t cut it for 5 people. Now there are quite a few ways to put locally stored content on the TV but they usually require some other things (wi-fi, HDTV, certain brand) and in some cases you have that but just canâ€™t get it to work (Chromecast and hotel wi-fi anyone). There are also those times that you just want to get a bigger screen, this and all other scenarios can be solved by a portable projector and it just so happens that the great folks over at Brookstone sent me one to review. So without out further ado let us review the Pocket Projector Pro.

Whatâ€™s In The Box:

Pocket Projector Pro

MHL to HDMI cable

HDMI Cable

Adapter Tips

Charger with different socket options

Pouch

Performance:

I have put the Pocket Projector Pro through its paces with heavy (and I mean HEAVY) use throughout this review and I have to say the Brookstone Pocket Projector Pro can do it all. I have connected my PS4 to this to play some COD Ghosts, used the MHL cable (with adapter tip that is included and needed for use with my Note 3) to play movies via screen mirroring, and have even used the projector connected to my Mac for a second screen because why not. Through all these uses the Brookstone Pocket Projector Pro chugged on brilliantly and I have absolutely no complaints on the performance of the projector.

What We Liked About It:

It can play video up to 1280 x 800 resolution which is HD quality and can give you a 100 inch screen if you wanted it. There is also something called Short Throw Technology incorporated into the Pocket Projector Pro that allows it to project a 60 inch from just 6 feet away. This helps give you that â€œtheaterâ€ experience in a much smaller area than most projectors.

Video Quality:

As stated above the Pocket Projector Pro can put out video quality of 1280×800 which is HD and well looks pretty damn good in my book, considering the size. I received the Pocket Projector Pro at CES and even under the bright lights the images played beautifully. If you shine direct sunlight at the image however that’s a different story, but that’s usually the case with all projectors anyway.

Sound:

The Pocket Projector Pro also has a built in speaker and while convenient in a small very quiet room it, I wouldnâ€™t use it to show a movie. If you’re trying to get that theater effect I’d suggest utilizing the Auxiliary out jack to get better sound with an external speaker.

Power:

Brookstone in all their all knowingness also made a USB port available to ensure your connected mobile device is powered while being use with the Pocket Projector Pro. This is a small feature but when you’re playing a movie/s for a few hours straight that USB is going to be a lifesaver.

Adapter Tips:

This may not seem like a big deal but if you own a fairly new device like me with my Samsung Note 3, then youâ€™ll be forever thankful to Brookstone for including the adapter tips. If you did not know the issue here is the MHL cable, newer Samsung devices require a 11-pin adapter in order to play HDMI content to the projector or HDTV. Â It also requires an external power source which the 11-pin adapter included with the Pocket Projector Pro allows. If it wasn’t for this little adapter you would need to drop about $20 bucks to get that 11 pin adapter required by Samsung on Amazon. With that said thank you Brookstone for covering us Sammy owners in that area, very thoughtful of you.

Portability:

The name does say Pocket Projector Pro and the projector itself is very portable when pitted against standard projectors. It fits perfectly in my backpack so much so that I can just grab it and go. I can set it on a self-standing dinner table and use that as my base or even just place it on a step of a step ladder if I am outside (which I did, forgot my tripod). Also the fact that it is so small allows me to use it with even the smallest tripods like my Joby Gorillapod. This is great for me because the Gorillapod has flexible legs so I can wrap it around a pole if I needed to, though I wouldn’t recommend it. Always better to have stable ground when it comes to projectors.

What We Would Change:

This speaker is small for a reason, it is meant to be portable but the fact that you need to have it connected to a wall outlet at all times if you want to use it makes me doubt that. Brookstone does offer a battery pack for the Pocket Projector Pro online that will allow you to get up to 2 hours worth of HD video projecting but it will cost you $100. The pack itself is 8800mAh which is ok but if 8800mAh will get me 2 hours then why not give me the option to use my own battery pack, say my Limefuel 24,000 portable power bank. If math serves me right I would at least be able to get about 5 hours worth of HD video streaming. That is one thing I would change, give me the option to use one of my own portable power banks or at least sell me a usb cable by itself for me to use. This is the only thing I would change everything else is great.

Overall Thoughts:

The Brookstone Pocket Projector Pro is my go to projector when I am going out to visit family or just want to play COD on a bigger screen. With the compact size and ease of use there is no reason why this shouldn’t be your next portable projector. I have included a link below to the Pocket Projector Pro along with a link to the external battery pack should you desire that 2 hour HD viewing without being tied to an outlet. So hit up those links down below and get your hands on the Brookstone Pocket Projector Pro, you wonâ€™t regret it. This has been an AndroidSPIN review, thanks for reading.

]]>http://androidspin.com/2014/04/03/product-review-brookstone-pocket-projector-pro/feed/1GoPro Hero3+ Black Edition: Big Things Come In Small Packageshttp://androidspin.com/2014/03/04/gopro-hero3-black-edition-big-things-come-small-packages/
http://androidspin.com/2014/03/04/gopro-hero3-black-edition-big-things-come-small-packages/#commentsWed, 05 Mar 2014 01:39:58 +0000http://androidspin.com/?p=138502When it comes to recording extreme sports like Skydiving, Bungee Jumping, or even free climbing there isnâ€™t much that you need to do so. If you have a GoPro camera handy youâ€™re all set and really what more could you ask for. With the new GoPro3+ Black Edition you have the capability to record in […]

When it comes to recording extreme sports like Skydiving, Bungee Jumping, or even free climbing there isnâ€™t much that you need to do so. If you have a GoPro camera handy youâ€™re all set and really what more could you ask for. With the new GoPro3+ Black Edition you have the capability to record in 4k and take pictures at 12 megapixels, if that wasnâ€™t enough you can also take the thing underwater and really push your creative limits. Of course this is the most common use for the GoPro so me being a geek I decided to test it out at CES 2014. My plan was to be completely mobile and not need a laptop to do anything for my videos, if you have ever been to CES, or any other convention like it, you know that the amount of time available is never enough to see it all. That being said I can tell you that when youâ€™re at CES you donâ€™t really have much time to sit down, especially if you are part of a small team trying to get as much out of the show as possible. Using a GoPro3+ Black Edition camera and my trusty Galaxy Note 3 to put out quick posts and clips of CES 2014 all while staying completely mobile and rushing to my next meeting was my solution to staying mobile and capturing demos, events and meetings. Sounds simple enough right? Well letâ€™s just see in my review of the GoPro Hero3+ Black Edition.

Â What’s In The Box:

The GoPro Hero3+ Black Edition is a high end device and with a high end price comes some great box contents such as:

The GoPro Hero3+ Camera (Of Course)

High Capacity Li-Ion Battery

A Wireless Waterproof Remote

131’/41m Waterproof GoPro Housing

Charging/Transfer Cable For GoPro

Charging Cable For Wireless Remote

Quick Release Buckles

Curved and Flat Adhesive Mounts

3-Way Pivot Arm

That’s quite a bit of stuff to play with. Personally I like the Wireless Remote, huge lifesaver. I’ll tell you why later on.

Physical Attributes:

When I first saw the GoPro camera I knew it would be tiny but taking it out of the box, man it was something else. It is really small, I mean I knew how small it was going to be but you have to know, I am used to carrying around my DSLR for recording which after a while can get pretty heavy so the fact that I can have a camera that can shoot 4k video and 12mp photos while still fitting in Â my pocket is a great physical feat all in itself.

The lens is big and it has to be, that’s how you get all those amazing wide angle shots that make this style of video shooting a true GoPro video. As far as the material and build quality goes it feels great in your hand and has a grip with it, which is great because you wouldn’t want to put a scratch on that big beautiful lens.

Performance

It’s a GoPro camera so it has a tough and proven track record for the extreme side of things. The camera proved durable and portable as it should be. Thanks to the waterproof housing I was able to get in and record where others with their thousand dollar cameras could not which made for some really great footage. The videos in 4k came out great and file size wise HUGE which was to be expected given the recording format I was using. Photos were great as well, however while using the Protune feature of the camera some of the photos did get really washed out.

Video Quality:

This is a no-brainer, it’s a GoPro with 4k video recording, I think that says it all. It records videos in such an amazing way and well just watch the video below to get an idea. Keep in mind YouTube doesn’t do the GoPro justice as it only goes up to 1080 :(. The thing I loved the most is the insane amount of choices when it comes to video recording formats.There are exactly 11 different video modes that you can choose from through the Android app and these include;

4k (17:9)

4k

2.7k (17.9)

2.7k

1440

1080 (Super View)

1080

960

720 (Super View)

720

WVGA

That is quite a array of choices, personally I found myself switching between 1080 Super View (that’s the one that gives you the signature GoPro wide angle recording format) and 4k.

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PhotoÂ Quality:

It shoots 12 megapixel images that look great. I did find that some images were a bit washed out or too overexposed when using the Protune feature so I left that off and manually tweaked the photos myself. Using the GoPro Hero3+ during CES 2014 was great and having such a tiny camera was great as it allowed me to get some shots that were nearly impossible to get among the mobs of journalist that flooded press conferences. Thanks to the Android app you also have quite a few options when it comes to using the GoPro Hero3+ as a camera. These options include; the ability to change your photo resolution (12mp wide, 7mp wide, 7mp med, and 5 mp med), choose how many shots are taken via continuous shot (single, 3SPS, 5SPS, or 10SPS), change how many photos are taken on a second basis in Burst Rate mode (3/1 sec,5/1 sec,10/1 sec, 10/2 secs, 30/1 sec, 30/2 sec, 30/3 sec), and you can also change the settings of the Time-Lapse mode to fit when a photo is taken based on seconds (0.5 sec, 1 sec, 2 sec, 5 sec, 10 sec, 30 sec, 60 sec). As you can see GoPro really went above and beyond when it comes to the GoPro Hero3+.

Accessories:Â

I received the GoPro Jaws(Flex Clamp) with the GoPro Hero3+ and I had a blast using it. Unfortunately a certain idea of mind didn’t quite pan out so I was unable to use it during CES. After I came back though I purchased the GoPro Suction Cup mount and well I have not stopped using my GoPro Hero3+ camera since. The GoPro Suction cup mount can withstand winds of up to 150 mph (which is crazy) and well living in the city the closest I was going to get to that was going 70 mph down the freeway. I will admit it is a bit scary putting a $400 camera on top of your car with nothing but a suction cup but for the sake of this review I did it and it was great. The mount held up easily to the 70mph winds and there was little to no shake in the video which is, quite frankly, amazing to me. All in all I’d say a GoPro Hero3+ isn’t complete without at least one accessory so check out the link below and see which one suits your needs.

Android App

PROS:

This was the main feature of the GoPro camera for me, the Android App. If it wasn’t for this application I would have had to carry around my laptop just so I could transfer videos off the memory card. Thankfully the GoPro Android app allows me to connect to my camera via Wi-Fi and move videos off the GoPro wirelessly. This came in very handy as I didn’t have to stop and sit down to transfer files to my laptop.

The second most valuable feature of this app is the Live View function. I can connect wirelessly to the GoPro camera from my Note 3 and see what the GoPro is seeing. This is pretty much a necessity as there are quite a few other Journalists trying to get their own shot, especially during Press only events. Being able to mount the GoPro camera on a monopod and use my Note 3 as a viewfinder really helped one up some of the other guys at my eye level.

The third and final thing that the GoPro app allowed me to do is tweak the settings and modes. The GoPro can shoot in a variety of different video formats (4k, 1080 super-wide, 720, and many more). It can also take photos in both single, time-lapse, and burst mode. With all these features to use being able to use my 5.5 inch screen to tweak the settings is a whole lot easier than having to go through the menu on the GoPro camera itself.

Additional Features:

These are the other features that you get with the GoPro app:

Locate Camera- Makes the GoPro camera beep so you can locate it (No GPS :/)

SD Card Capacity- Allows you to see exactly how much room is available on your Micro SD Card)

Upside Down- Allows you to record the video right side up while the physical camera is upside down

Delete files- Allows you to delete the files when connected wirelessly to the GoPro Hero3+ (thank you captain obvious)

CONS:

When using certain format types the GoPro app does not provide a thumbnail making it hard to see which video is which. Now normally this wouldn’t bother me so much but the fact that the videos are not being stored in a organized manner makes it harder to know which video is which. The only way to figure that out is to play the video. Unfortunately this was also an issue as when using a recording in 4k for example you can’t play the video on your mobile device (in my case my Note 3) because it isn’t supported.

On some occasions Wi-Fi would stay despite having turned off the camera. This required me to turn it back on and turn Wi-Fi off manually

What We Liked About It:

Great video and photo capabilities

Portable (fits in a pocket)

Waterproof housing is AMAZING!!!

Creates it’s own wireless access point for data transfers

Can be controlled via Wi-Fi with included wireless remote or free Android app

Wide range of accessories

Can take a hit in the housing case

Battery life (normal use)

What We Didn’t Like About It:

Battery life (keep in mind this was through heavy video recording, normal use battery life is great)

Photos sometimes washed out with Protune enabled, same for videos

No thumbnails for some of the content Â in the GoPro app

What Could Make It Better:

Bigger battery (maybe the ability to have a mount with a built-in battery

Zoom option

Overall Thoughts:

The GoPro Hero3+ Black Edition camera is one the most versatile and capable little cameras out there. While the price maybe be a bit high at $400 I can tell you that it is certainly worth it. Not only do you get a camera capable of 4k video and 12 mp photos you also get a wide range of accessories to use it with that enhance the functionality of the Hero3+. Â All things considered the GoPro Hero3+ Black Edition is solid proof that big things sometimes do come in small packages.

A quick sidenote:

After doing this review I am still surprised at howÂ resilientÂ the GoPro camera is in the waterproofÂ housing (which also serves as a strong case) and after watching the video I am sure you will believe in the almost indestructible GoPro. Just to give you an idea, this video was shot with a GoPro camera that accidentally fell out of an airplane and landed in a pig pen.

I have included links to the GoPro camera along with the accessories I used for this review, feel free to check them out and if you can nab one for yourself, you won’t regret it.

]]>http://androidspin.com/2014/03/04/gopro-hero3-black-edition-big-things-come-small-packages/feed/1Patriot Stellar USB/microUSB 3.0 OTG Flash Drive [Review]http://androidspin.com/2014/02/18/review-patriot-stellar-usbmicrousb-3-0-otg-flash-drive/
http://androidspin.com/2014/02/18/review-patriot-stellar-usbmicrousb-3-0-otg-flash-drive/#commentsTue, 18 Feb 2014 21:16:32 +0000http://androidspin.com/?p=135313What is it? The Patriot Stellar is a USB thumb drive with a regular USB connection on one end and a microUSB on the other. There’s a small cap that pops off to expose the microUSB side to protect from dust, lint, etc. It comes in 16, 32, and 64GB sizes and is USB 3.0. […]

What is it?

The Patriot Stellar is a USB thumb drive with a regular USB connection on one end and a microUSB on the other. There’s a small cap that pops off to expose the microUSB side to protect from dust, lint, etc. It comes in 16, 32, and 64GB sizes and is USB 3.0. It’s compact and has the same height and width of a USB port.

Mounting

I mounted the Patriot Stellar on several different Android devices around the office including an LG G2, an HTC One, and a Samsung Note 3; you’d just plug it in and any file explorer app was able to read, copy, move, delete, and rename its contents without a hitch. My Nexus 5 on the other hand (as well as other Nexus devices) requires a helper app to mount any OTG storage because it’s not supported natively, I’d recommend Stickmount by Chainfire (note that root permissions are required). If you’re not rooted, Total CommanderÂ in conjunction with its USB Stick Plugin will mount as Nexus OTG storage as well.

Testing

I pitted the Patriot Stellar against other external storage options, even my N5 itself. I used my N5 to create a nandroid backup in TWRP, each of which hovered around 4.7GB in size. Additionally, I tested each of the storage options’ read and write speeds with THIS free USB speed test on my work PC. (Note that the Patriot Stellar is USB 3.0 and the other storage options were USB 2.0, but I only have USB 2.0 ports on my machine, so the Stellar’s performance on a USB 3.0 would be even more Stellar.)Â For comparison, my N5 created a nandroid on its internal storage in 571 seconds:

As you can see regarding the tested external storage options, the Patriot Stellar won in all categories. Even compared to writing a nandroid directly to internal storage, it only took 40% longer, which is rather impressive.

The Good

It’s small, compact, and works as it should

Read/Write speed is insane

Three sizes available to fit your needs

Solid, durable, and quality construction

2-year warranty

The price

The Bad

Since it’s small and detachable, it can be easily lost

Final Thoughts

The Patriot Stellar is the BEST solution for those with mobile devices who need extra storage. I would argue that it’s even better than an internal SD card because a cable isn’t required to transfer files to a computer. I found the Stellar to be extremely helpful for loading new ROMs onto and saving nandroid backups to. I originally bought a Meenova microSD card reader for that same purpose, but the Stellar has replaced my Meenova. I’d recommend the Patriot Stellar to anyone with an Android deviceâ€”especially those who do root and require extra space for ROMs and backups.

If you’re interested in one of the Patriot Stellar’s many size options you have a couple of choices. You can head to the old standby, Amazon, and pick up a 16GB, 32Gb or 64GB Patriot Stellar via the links below.

The price points are pretty stellar for their sizes and what they do. As an extra special incentive to our readers though, we have a special promotion running for one month with Patriot on any one of these OTG drives. If you order through Newegg.com and use the promo code OTG4FUN, you get an additional $5 off your purchase. The 16GB is already only $19.99, so you could grab that for just $15.Â This promo is only valid for the 32GB model of the Stellar Drive and will be good from now through March 13th 2014, so you have some time.

]]>http://androidspin.com/2014/02/18/review-patriot-stellar-usbmicrousb-3-0-otg-flash-drive/feed/4Limefuel Doubles Your Nexus 5 Battery With A Great Casehttp://androidspin.com/2014/01/25/limefuel-doubles-nexus-5-battery-great-case/
http://androidspin.com/2014/01/25/limefuel-doubles-nexus-5-battery-great-case/#commentsSat, 25 Jan 2014 22:25:39 +0000http://androidspin.com/?p=129316We all know how great the Nexus 5 is, a pure AOSP device with a blazing fast Snapdragon 800 processor, 5 inch HD display and Android 4.4 Kit Kat out of the box, whatâ€™s not to love? With all that said there is one issue I just can’t get over, the embedded battery. Say what […]

We all know how great the Nexus 5 is, a pure AOSP device with a blazing fast Snapdragon 800 processor, 5 inch HD display and Android 4.4 Kit Kat out of the box, whatâ€™s not to love? With all that said there is one issue I just can’t get over, the embedded battery. Say what you will, but I just want to have the removable battery option. I usually drain my Note 3 in 4 hours during heavy use which is most of the time but because it has a removable battery I can simply swap to another one when I need it. Obviously the Nexus 5 doesn’t have that option. There are however various options to help you get some juice on the go. One solution is a case with a rechargeable battery. There are plenty battery pack toting cases around for the iPhone 5, quite a few for the Samsung Galaxy S4 and even some for the HTC One, but I have only found one for the Nexus 5. The one I found was on Amazon (via Google Search) but it didn’t look superb. I want more variety, thankfully the folks over at Limefuel apparently saw the same issues and have decided to put out their take on a battery backup charging case for the N5.

Many of you might not be familiar with Limefuel. There name used to be Limeade. Due to circumstances that we won’t be covering here, it has been changed to Limefuel. Prior to CES 2014 they sent me 3 of their battery banks; a 6000 mAh portable battery pack, 13,000 mAh portable battery pack, and a whopping 24,000 mAh one. If I would have received the 24,000 mAh alone I would have been set. Thanks to that monster I didnâ€™t have one device die on me during the entire show week. Iâ€™m talking one GoPro Hero3+, Note 3, Verizon HTC Rezound (hotspot purposes), and my Google Glass all charged the entire week thanks to the Limefuel 24,000 mAh portable battery pack. That is just to give you an idea of how far Limefuel has come since their Kickstarter daysÂ and it looks like they have no plans in slowing up their designs or functionality. Which, in my opinion, is a great thing. There is nothing worse then helping fund a company to watch one product come out and then disappear.

While at CES I got a chance to see the new Limefuel Nexus 5 rechargeable battery case and I have to say it looks like a great case. It is a two-piece slider style case that makes putting your Nexus 5 inside not only a breeze, but also gives you worry free usage. Often these types of cases make you force or jimmy your device into them and can potentially harm your USB charge port. The case lightweight, at only 3.8 oz and slim enough (3.3-inches) to not take too much from the Nexus 5’s sleek design. Â The Limefuel case packs a whopping 2860 mAhÂ battery (made withÂ Grade A cells with protection against short circuit, anti-discharge protection, anti-overcurrent protection and anti-explosion protection) which will give you one full charge and a bit more. That is more than enough for the average user. If you do happen to have issues though, Limefuel products come backed with a 12 month warranty.

I have included links below so you can get your hands on one. All I can say is I may have to buy a Nexus 5 so I can review this amazing Limefuel product. So stop reading and go get you Nexus 5 rechargeable case as of this article Amazon only had 19 left. I added in the 13000 mAh battery pack below also, mainly because it is great and only $39.99.

]]>http://androidspin.com/2014/01/25/limefuel-doubles-nexus-5-battery-great-case/feed/3First Thoughts and Hands-On Look at the Meizu MX3http://androidspin.com/2014/01/20/first-look-meizu-mx3/
Mon, 20 Jan 2014 17:57:23 +0000http://androidspin.com/?p=128361Seeing as I work with an Android news site, it’s kind of obvious that I love mobile devices. The one thing that always wins me over is the fact the Android is an open operating system. It’s because of this openness that we get such amazing features and devices. It is the place to be […]

Seeing as I work with an Android news site, it’s kind of obvious that I love mobile devices. The one thing that always wins me over is the fact the Android is an open operating system. It’s because of this openness that we get such amazing features and devices. It is the place to be if you want to chose your device and make it truly your own. With all these options it is hard to find one mobile device that can truly stand out, I mean we get new flagship devices every six months now so it is hard to keep track of all of them, some aren’t even that deserving of the term. Thankfully I found one device that stood out among the rest at CES this year and that device is the Meizu MX3.

This device is beautifully designed and has a very sleek/slim profile to it, it’s the first phone I have actually liked that was smaller than my Note 3. The looks are only one side of this incredible device. What good are looks if it doesn’t have the power under the hood to perform. Well let me tell you, the Meizu MX3 is worth the money, but don’t take my word for I’ll let the specs below do the talking.

As you can see, this is a more than capable device. The thing I love most is the 8-core processor, don’t know why but I just like saying my phone has an 8-core processor. The other thing I really love is the internal storage capacity they are offering, being in the US, the norm (Android wise) for internal memory options usually stops at 32 GB, if you get a phone that supports Micro SD you can bump that up another 64 if you wanted to but that’s really where it ends. Meizu chose to give you more, they offer 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB models for the MX3. They also have a 128GB option but that is for the MX3 TD, still 128GB is pretty freaking sweet and it’s a great option to have.

I’m on the fence about the OS though, the Meizu MX3 is running Flyme 3.0, which is based off Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. Why does this matter you may ask, well you see out of the box I am not a big fan of it. My problem is that it looks a bit to much like the iPhone UI, which I don’t really care for. Thankfully all I had to do was download Nova Launcher and I was back to the great Android UI I love. However keep in mind that this is a ‘First Look’, so I’m not really giving any in-depth thoughts on it yet, I’ll have to dig into Flyme a bit more, but for now I can say it’s a pretty interesting take on the Android OS.

From my short time with the device I can tell you I am impressed. It definitely takes something pretty special to make me reconsider my Note 3 as my daily device. I will be doing a full and thorough review on this great device in the coming weeks so make sure to check back here when it goes out. Also if there are any questions you want me to answer let me know in the comments below so I can address them in my review as well. Oh, before I forget, I have included a link below if you’re interested in learning more about the Meizu MX3, thanks for reading.

]]>[Kickstarter] Dust Your Friends in a Game of Geo-Combat with Dustcloudhttp://androidspin.com/2014/01/14/kickstarter-dust-friends-game-lazer-tag-dustcloud/
http://androidspin.com/2014/01/14/kickstarter-dust-friends-game-lazer-tag-dustcloud/#respondTue, 14 Jan 2014 19:42:46 +0000http://androidspin.com/?p=128214Walking around CES, I got to see the “next greatest things in tech” scattered throughout thousands of booths in the three convention halls. It’s not always inside that you’ll see the latest ideas, though.Â I happened to be outside for a breather of the North Hall when I bumped into Howard Hunt, founder and CEO of […]

Walking around CES, I got to see the “next greatest things in tech” scattered throughout thousands of booths in the three convention halls. It’s not always inside that you’ll see the latest ideas, though.Â I happened to be outside for a breather of the North Hall when I bumped into Howard Hunt, founder and CEO of The Dustcloud. Howard demonstrated this new GPS-based game of laser tag to me first-hand.

The small, hand-held guns are called Dusters and shoot invisible bullets called Speks.Â When someone says laser tag, everyone immediately knows what that means, but calling this laser tag is a little misleading. The Dusters aren’t actually lasers, but are ZigBee powered, meaning they can’t be blocked by clothing or people and have a range of five meters. There’s blue, green, and red teams where you try to take out or dust your opponents by blasting them with Speks. (Note that you can change colors at any time.)Â Each Duster is paired to your Android or iOS device via Bluetooth and broadcasts your location and stats to The Dustcloud. You can track opponents, create alliances, see your friends, call on opponents for a match, and call in backup to “avenge your death” where you were just dusted. As you dust more opponents you move up the ranks and your Duster becomes more powerful. If The Dustcloud takes off, there’s aspiration for expansion into things such as Google Glass, the possibilities are endless.Â

Using Speks costs cash money at $.05 each via PayPal, so there’s an incentive to use them wisely. They’re stored in your paired device where you can reload them into your Duster.Â But, if you’re a good player you won’t have to buy them very often.Â When someone is dusted:

â€¢ Their Dusters are switched off for thirteen seconds.
â€¢ The Speks in their Dusters are captured by the player who has dusted them.
â€¢ Their positional marker (POI) disappears from the iOS and Android app on their phone.
â€¢ Their efficiency percentage decreases incrementally on the Dustcloud database.
â€¢ Their Mini Dossier is sent to the Dustbin in the Dossier of the player who has dusted them.

If you don’t want to pay for Speks and just want to play for fun without stats, there’s an option for offline mode. You’ll get five lives to Dust your opponents. When you are dusted your Duster refills in thirteen seconds, but in the meantime your opponent receives one of your Speks.

The Dustcloud has a Kickstarter campaign going, which is trying to get it off the ground. Early backers will get incentives such a free magazine of six Speks every 24 hours though 2015. If you want an early Duster, you’ll have to pledge at least $39, but that’ll get you 300 Speks, two 24 hour empty Spek recharges through 2015, and three minute resurrection.

The Dustcloud looks like a fun strategy-filled game to play with friends and strangers alike; it couples the essence of laser tag with modern technology in Geo-CombatÂ utilizing GPS, social networking, and mobile devices.